Reigned In: Lady Colts Win Streak Over

Take what they give you.  That seemed to be the recurring theme throughout Calhoun's visit to Great Neck South yesterday.

The Lady Colts took it all right, but didn't quite give enough back.

Unable to get on any kind of offensive roll, Calhoun saw their three game win streak come to an end in a 53-39 setback against the first place Lady Rebels.  The loss dropped Calhoun to 2-3 in conference play.  Great Neck South (5-0) remains unbeaten.

An offensive explosion is likely what it would have taken for Calhoun to have had any shot.  From the outset, the Lady Rebels showed they weren't going to let that happen; disrupting passing lanes and forcing turnovers.

Once they pushed the action into the frontcourt, the Lady Rebels were, well, rebels on the offensive glass, giving themselves second chance opportunities, and frustrating Calhoun.

"We worked our butts off, [Great Neck South] is physical," Calhoun coach Dave Radtke said.

So what exactly did Great Neck South give Calhoun?  Open looks, with chances for the Lady Colts to keep things tight.  Unfortunately the hoop seemed a bit small on this particular night.

Meghan O'Sullivan led Calhoun with 12 points, and Erin Green was next in line with 7, not nearly enough to keep running with the Rebels.

"They manned up our two shooters, and left one girl wide open," Radtke said.  "If that girl doesn't hit the shot, then [the Rebel defense] looks like the greatest thing in the world."

The basket was a bit more kind to the Lady Rebels, who were led by junior Sapir Edalati's 14 points, to go along with 12 rebounds and five steals.  Senior Michelle Ross added 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Despite Great Neck's dominance on the glass, the Lady Colts tried to stay within striking range.  Down 11 at the half, Danielle Losee hit a three to open the second half scoring, and a few minutes later an O' Sullivan tip in made it 37-31.

A sustained run just wasn't in the cards, however.

The Lady Colts were unable to match Great Neck shot for shot the rest of the way.  Forced into bad shots from the outside, Calhoun saw the Lady Rebels pull away, as both coaches emptied their bench for the last few minutes of action.

Despite seeing their win streak end, the Lady Colts tried to stay upbeat after the game, and are hoping to draw on experience as the second round of league play awaits them.

"We play everyone again, Green said.  "I think there will be a different outcome.  I think we learned how to finally play defense against the better teams, guard the better girls and get our shots in, and we'll play well."

Radtke seemed optimistic as well, while sounding a warning to future opponents.

"We've got to stop being nice, we've got to get a little physical," he said.  "Every night's going to be a war in this conference."

To win the next battle, the Lady Colts will try to give as much as they get - and more.

League play continues tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. when the Lady Cougars of Kennedy High visit Calhoun.